1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices and methods for securing and retaining medical sensors in specific desired locations on the skin of a person, and in particular, to such sensor retention devices which provide enhanced adjustability of the positioning of the sensors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern medical techniques and instrumentation require the use of a wide variety of sophisticated sensors, one of which is a non-invasive pulse sensor. This type of sensor, e.g. using a piezoelectric element, is applied to the surface of the person's skin for detecting the person's pulse. Some means of retention is required to secure and retain the sensor at the desired location.
Various means of retention are well known and commonly used. Typically, these include various forms of elastic straps and adhesive tapes. However, such conventional sensor retention devices generally suffer from at least one of two common problems.
First, conventional sensor retention devices almost invariably require the use of two hands in their application. Thus, positioning and holding the sensor at a specific desired location, while simultaneously applying the sensor retention device, is virtually impossible.
Second, once the sensor has been securely positioned at the desired location, conventional sensor retention devices do not allow for slightly repositioning the sensor without upsetting the application of the sensor retention device and requiring that it be re-applied all over again.